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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934502">Mice and Officers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/halocentury/pseuds/halocentury'>halocentury</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Scrabble in Space, Yes I'm a Geek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:13:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934502</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/halocentury/pseuds/halocentury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There are eyes and ears everywhere on the Finalizer. Secrets will be found out. Even the secrets of General Hux.</p>
<p>(Written for Kylux Titleception 2020)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kylux Titleception 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mice and Officers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unnoticed. A hindrance. Constantly underfoot. </p>
<p>Those were the good days, and the tamer names he was called. He never retorted, for fear of reprimand. Certainly a good number of the officers did, glaring at him. Kicking him. Cursing him out until he scurried out of the room. </p>
<p>Silently he did his duties, taking him from one end of the Finalizer to the other.</p>
<p>What they didn’t know was that he reported their behaviours to his commander. </p>
<p>If they only knew what he saw, and heard, when they thought they were alone behind closed doors.</p>
<p>If he could he would’ve been snickering. </p>
<p>He was on his usual patrol, fixing up things and cleaning as he went. Ducking out of the way when superiors walked past. There was rarely a moment to rest but he preferred it that way. He liked keeping busy. He had a purpose and he was proud of his commendations. </p>
<p>It was two shifts later when his day finished. He could’ve gone to the mess hall, catch up with the local gossip, but there was one place that he was expected to be first.</p>
<p>He crept around corners, took the hidden route up to the officer’s level. It would be horribly suspicious to be caught but by now, he was accustomed to hiding in the shadows, hiding until the corridor was clear.</p>
<p>Finally he found his opening, and ducked inside a little storage closet. </p>
<p>He tipped the air circulation vent askew, already hanging loose with only one screw holding it in place, before slipping through. </p>
<p>“That is not a word!”</p>
<p>He nearly scuttled back into the closet.</p>
<p>He didn’t realise his superior had company tonight. Normally he was finished his shift, seated on the couch in the narrow room, tarine tea in hand. </p>
<p>What he expected was not this. </p>
<p>He never knew what Lord Ren looked like under the mask, the item set aside gently on the top of the couch. But it was certainly the Force user himself. </p>
<p>Instead of throwing the slim projector between them to the ground in a tantrum, Lord Ren glared to General Hux seated on the other end of the couch. </p>
<p>He couldn’t see what made up the holo-projector, the double-sided projection facing both men. He would’ve moved closer for a better look but was uncertain if General Hux would wait to hear his reports until Lord Ren was gone.</p>
<p>“Look it up on your game piece, it is a word.”</p>
<p>“Why couldn’t we play the game in your quarters like we normally do?” Lord Ren frowned but didn’t do as suggested; instead he was tapping impatiently on what looked like a mini-datapad.</p>
<p>“I am waiting on a few reports, to be issued in person. You arrived early, and since I had nothing to finish up, starting the game early here made sense.” General Hux sipped his tea, balancing his own game piece on his knee.</p>
<p>“They’re taking their time.”</p>
<p>“No, they should be here any minute.”</p>
<p>Lord Ren rolled his eyes but decided on what his move was for the game; or so that’s what he thought. He tapped away at his game piece; he thought he saw something appear on the holo-projection, what looked like aurabesh, spelling out a word, and then tallying a number for both of them to see.</p>
<p>Knowing that General Hux was waiting on him, he decided to move forward. </p>
<p>Lord Ren was the first to see him, double-taking at his presence. “How did <i>that</i> get in here?”</p>
<p>Too engrossed in considering his turn, it took a few seconds for General Hux to see him; waving Lord Ren’s concern away, he motioned him closer. “That’s my reports. My best little agent, even better than Opan.” </p>
<p>It didn’t escape his attention that Lord Ren was looking on with confusion, a smirk creeping in. “Don’t let Opan know he’s been replaced by a mouse.”</p>
<p>“There are some places that not even he can get access to. And most people don’t stop to think how often mouse droids are around.” He vibrated with pride, not that he could do so with any overt movements. He was immediately beside the couch, bumping into General Hux’s fingers once he moved his tea to his other hand, enjoying the pets, even under scrutiny. “Valuable intel on officers who act like the most devoted of allies until my back is turned. Or Opan’s.” </p>
<p>“Valid point.” Lord Ren glanced from General Hux to him, rubbing his lips together, pursing them. “Your boss, has he sent you to spy on me?”</p>
<p>He beeped out a negative, to which Lord Ren appeared to be satisfied, though he did glance back to General Hux. </p>
<p>“I hope he’s not lying for your sake, I have other ways to finding out the truth.”</p>
<p>“I very well know that.” General Hux lifted an eyebrow, cheek twitching, but otherwise concentrating on their game. “Why you even question him is a moot point. You can always just… check me on your own.”</p>
<p>“It is impressive, lying or not-” He interrupted Lord Ren with a protest, several angry beeps long, but he didn’t listen. “He’s quite ready to defend you. How did you… find each other, create such an alliance?”</p>
<p>“Oh, we’ve been friends for a long time.” General Hux continued to stroke his back, scratching the back end where one of his sensors was. “It just… came about. He was an older model, about to be scrapped, but saving his working parts to be used on newer makes. I decided that I could fix him up, enhance any of the outdated pieces he had. We bonded and we made a partnership. He’s seen a lot, knows things that a lot of people don’t know about. It’s valuable to have more than one agent.”</p>
<p>“So it seems.” He and Lord Ren looked at each other, silent – deciding there was merit in the other. It had to be a positive that he hadn’t been kicked out of the room for the game.</p>
<p>After all, no one else knew that Lord Ren and General Hux were on friendly enough terms to play games with one another, and normally within the General’s quarters. </p>
<p>Not that he had ever shared General Hux’s secrets with anyone else.</p>
<p>He ran off his reports, Lord Ren listening in and making his own commentary, surprised about some of the men and women he was listing off. And perhaps it was his new interest that had him distracted enough from the game that General Hux won. </p>
<p>Lord Ren looked at his remaining tile value flashing on the screen below his score, not looking the faintest bit sore. </p>
<p>“So that’s…. a point value of seven.” General Hux set his cup down, righting up with a glint in his eye. “You can make up the deficit in my quarters later.”</p>
<p>And the secrets that mouse droids didn’t know about at all.</p>
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